


Bucky's Serum Sickness

by Metalbvcky



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Caretaker Steve Rogers, Common Cold, Cuddling & Snuggling, Fever, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, POV Steve Rogers, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Sick Bucky Barnes, Sickfic, whiny bucky because he's not used to the role reversal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:21:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27499345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metalbvcky/pseuds/Metalbvcky
Summary: “M’ah sup’a soldier, Steeb. We don’ get sick.”“Really?” Steve had given Bucky a long look as he fiddled with their fancy coffee machine. Bucky's skin was abnormally pale, paired with his flushed face. Usually, Bucky tied his hair in a bun for their morning jog. Instead, it was sticking up in all sorts of directions. No way would Steve take Bucky out in the cold like that. “Because you don’t look too hot.”Bucky maintained his balance for a split second until he stumbled on his mismatched socked feet. The refrigerator met his flesh shoulder with a garbled hiss as metal clinked against the door handle. “Always hot for you.”
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 17
Kudos: 162





	Bucky's Serum Sickness

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic requested by one of my Tumblr anons [here!](https://metalbvcky.tumblr.com/post/632646371442327553/i-desperately-need-sickfic-stubborn-preserum-bucky) I didn't make Bucky too stubborn but he's definitely grumpy at times. 
> 
> I was hoping to upload this last week but the election results had me at the edge of my seat and I /finally/ was relieved on Saturday, THANK GOD. Anyway, I've been going insane since Thursday because DESTIEL WENT CANON HOLYCRAP- I feel like I'm living on cloud nine. 
> 
> Enjoy this little 2k pile of fluffy Sick!Bucky being taken care of by Steve :) Buchanan Med's third oneshot is one the way!! Then I can't wait to start working on my bakery au, it'll be a multi-chap fic because I /really/ miss writing those instead of oneshots. Might even write the kid!fic while I work on that??? Uhhh...told myself I wouldn't have multiple WIPs but oops here I am. :P

“No, he’s still...” Steve huffed, cradling the phone between his ear and shoulder while stirring a pot of chicken noodle soup. Homemade too because the canned stuff wouldn’t suit Bucky. 

A wet hacking cough echoed down the hall. Loud enough to make Steve pinch his brows together at how gross it sounded. His poor baby, riddled in bed like all those times Steve had the not so pleasure of enduring. “Sick as a dog.” 

“Shesh, I could hear him from here,” Sam said. “Sure you don’t need anything while I’m out?” 

“We’re fine,” Steve replied, replacing the wooden spoon with a ladle. “Two boxes of tissues should be enough.” 

Sam snickered. “Right, like that'll last him a while.” 

“Hopefully—” 

“ _Steeeeeve_ ,” Bucky whined, voice so hoarse, it had to hurt something awful. 

Steve assembled a tray with a bowl of hot steaming soup with a glass of water on the side. “I gotta go.” 

“ _Dodger stop— Steve!_ ”

“Good luck,” Sam said before the call ended. 

Once cracked by a few inches, the door was left wide open. The sight on the bed gave Steve the answer. Dodger switched between licking Bucky’s face and gnawing on a fake bone, tail wagging with excitement. 

Steve gently tugged on Dodger’s collar to unlatch him from Bucky’s shivering form. “Come on buddy, he’s not feeling well.” 

Dodge’s ears folded back and he whined a pitiful sound. One single paw tapped Bucky’s back where he laid on his stomach, arms folded beneath the pillow. 

“We'll go for a walk later,” Steve told Dodger as he placed the tray on Bucky’s nightstand. 

Dodger barked once and picked up his drool covered bone before jumping off the bed. “Good boy.” Steve gave Dodger a head rub while leading him out the door. 

“Sorry, I’ll try to keep him out,” Steve said, the door clicking shut. 

“Ugh.” Bucky rolled over onto his back, coughing along the way. “Why does your dog gotta be that way?” 

Before Steve could reply, a little ball of white fur lifted her head from her bawled up position. _Meeeeooow, meow, meow._

“He just gets excited is all.” Little traitor. Alpine usually wanted every bit of attention from Steve whenever he was in the vicinity of their bed. Well, Bucky deserved it more than himself anyway. 

“Alpine’s a sweet kitty,” Bucky said, giving her ears a few scratches with his metal hand. She loved the cool feeling of it, her loud purring motor said it all. “Ain’t that right, sweetheart?” 

_Purrrr, meooow._

Steve wrapped a cloth napkin around the bowl and sat on the edge of the bed. “How’re you feeling?” 

“Feels like I swallowed my knife collection,” Bucky croaked out, flesh hand rubbing the underside of his neck. He eyed the spoon Steve held, steam rising enough to cloud his face. “You gonna feed me?” 

Steve dipped the spoon into the liquid, bringing up a couple of noodles and a chunk of a soft carrot. “If you want.” 

“Well go on,” Bucky said grinning. 

Ask and you shall receive. Though eight hours ago was a whole different story. Earlier this morning, Bucky refused to acknowledge that he was in fact, sick.

“M’ah sup’a soldier, Steeb. We don’ get sick.” 

“Really?” Steve had given Bucky a long look as he fiddled with their fancy coffee machine. Bucky's skin was abnormally pale, paired with his flushed face. Usually, Bucky tied his hair in a bun for their morning jog. Instead, it was sticking up in all sorts of directions. No way would Steve take Bucky out in the cold like that. “Because you don’t look too hot.” 

Bucky maintained his balance for a split second until he stumbled on his mismatched socked feet. The refrigerator met his flesh shoulder with a garbled hiss as metal clinked against the door handle. “Always hot for you.” 

“You know that I mean, Buck,” Steve said, rolling his eyes at the flirtation. He brushed Bucky’s hair aside and rested a palm over his forehead. Warm as a furnace. Trying to back away upon the contact, Bucky nearly tripped again if it weren’t for Steve’s steady grip around his waist. “Bruce did try to warn us about serum sickness, so it’s possible.” 

“Serum sickness?” Bucky scoffed at the wording but it turned into an all out coughing fit. Hard enough to bend him forward with a hand clutching his middle. “The hell is that? And _Jesus,_ I’m spitting’ up more shit than you did back in the day.”  
  
Steve swallowed down an exasperated sigh. Of course Bucky hadn’t paid a bit of attention to Bruce’s lecture. Anything tech wise intrigued Bucky. Leave it to Dum-E for being a distraction among Tony’s vast array of tools, disguised as toys. 

“Your version of the serum is different from mine, remember? And as Tony phrased it, you’ve got the Walmart version of a reversed engineered serum.” 

“Oh,” Bucky said before sneezing into a closed fist. Apparently, he hadn't learned from ma’s old lesson of sneezing into your elbow. 

“So a reaction can happen if you come into contact with someone. A standard cold basically, only triple the amount.” 

Bucky wiped his nose with the tail end of his sleeve. Gross. And to think, Bucky used to chew Steve out for doing the same. “You’re saying I’ve got a mega cold?” 

“Pretty much.” 

“ _Great._ ” 

Steve tugged Bucky’s arm to lead him in the direction of the hall. “Come on, let’s get you back into bed.” 

“Bed?” Bucky repeated, struggling to get out of Steve’s guiding hand. “A Hydra knockoff ain’t gonna stop me.” 

The earth’s mightiest sigh slipped past Steve’s lips. “You need to rest, Buck. It may not feel like it now but it’ll catch up to you eventually.” 

“Alright, so let’s go on a short run ‘till it does. I feel good enough right now.” 

“You’re not leaving this apartment when it’s thirty degrees out! And you can barely hold yourself up without my help.” 

“Fine, couch then,” Bucky said after a long beat of silence. 

Anything to get Bucky to cooperate. “Couch it is.” 

That hadn’t lasted long. By half past ten, Bucky’s symptoms progressed further and further. Their large sectional couch was deemed unworthy once his legs began to ache. 

Now hours later, here Steve was, feeding Bucky the soup he demanded to be made completely from scratch like the majesty he was. 

“Wow, you actually got the carrots soft.”  
  
Steve slipped another spoonful into Bucky’s awaiting mouth. “I can cook when I want to.” 

Another crumpled up tissue was tossed into the massive pile beside the bed. “Too bad I can’t taste anything.” 

Steve held the spoon mid-air and pressed his lips to a fine line, nothing but sympathy written on his face. There once was a time when he too couldn’t taste a thing. “I know, but it’ll get better.” 

“Fuckin’ botched serum.” 

Despite the opinion of his taste buds, Bucky still ate the entire bowl of soup and washed it down with the glass of water. By the time Steve cleaned up the mess in the kitchen, he returned only to find Bucky out like a light. Evidently, body aches and chills don't mix well with a metal prosthetic. The black and gold arm smushed the snotty tissues that were across the hardwood floor. Fair enough. Steve wasn’t looking forward to tidying up in the first place so he decided to leave it be. 

Humming to himself, Steve rifled through the linen closet for an extra blanket. A wintery-patterned fleece throw big enough to swallow both of them seemed good enough. Neither of them could stand the cold. Having a stockpile of thick comforters was a major necessity. 

The rustling from shaking the fabric out stirred Bucky to a half awakened state. “Steeevie,” he whined for what felt like the hundredth time today. Damn it if he doesn’t look _and_ sound cute. Nevermind the raspiness of his voice, the congestion in his chest alone said it all. 

“Shh, go back to sleep,” Steve murmured softly, tucking the blanket around Bucky’s sides but making sure it would be loose enough to get out of.

“Aw c’mere,” Bucky said between a wet cough. “Nap with me.” 

Irresistible as ever with those sad puppy dog eyes. Steve quickly went into the bathroom and refilled the glass with water. “Need anything before I climb in?”  
  
“No, just you.” 

Steve lifted the covers off his side of the bed before propping up a few pillows to lay against. It took no time for Bucky to snuggle up and rest his cheek on Steve’s chest. 

“Comfy?” Steve asked, gently combing his fingers through tangled strands of sweaty hair plastered on Bucky’s forehead. 

“Mhmm, you’re warm.” Like a kitten, Bucky snuggled even further into Steve, bringing his one and only flesh arm across his middle. “And firm.” 

“Is that so?” Steve chuckled, taking in the breathless sight of Bucky even though he looked and felt like crap. 

Gradually, Bucky trailed his hand below Steve’s waist and gave a quick squeeze to his thigh. “Huh.” He inched closer to the semi-bulge in Steve’s pants, one quick stroke through the fabric of his sweats. “Somethin’ else is getting firm too.” 

Red as a wagon, Steve’s cheeks lit up a rosy color at the soft touch. A shaky breath escaped his lips. Bucky repeated the action while keeping a glued stare on Steve. Steve swallowed a lump in his throat. Not the time or place for such activities.  
  
“Bucky,” Steve said slowly. It felt so good but he knew what needed to be done. “You’re sick.” 

“So?” Bucky stilled his hand, palm flat above Steve’s groin. 

“We shouldn’t,” Steve brought up a careful argument. 

“C’mon, a quickie?”  
  
Steve sighed. Bucky knew exactly what he was trying to get out of this. But Steve wouldn’t give in. Not today of all days. There would be a next time. Plenty of them. “No, Buck. Give your body a rest.” 

Bucky flopped back down on the mountain of pillows. “Awh, you’re no fun.” Instead of dropping the topic, Bucky pushed forward to try and get his way. “You know sex is supposed to be a good way to fight off a fever?” 

Steve wiped a hand over his face. Where in the world does Bucky find out about these things? “You've been on another Wikipedia binge?” 

“No, I overheard Nat mentioning something about orgasms...” Bucky gestured with his hand. “Relieving discomfort.” 

“Uh,” Steve cleared his throat. “While your first point may be true, I think Natasha meant that in a different way.” 

It took a moment but the light bulb went off in Bucky’s head. “Ohhh,” he said and a round of sneezes followed. “You know I uh, used to make fun of Becca?” 

“No.” Steve sat up straighter, noticing a tear slipping from the corner of Bucky’s eye. “I didn’t.” 

“Yeah...I was such a dumbass back then,” Bucky sighed, knocking his head against the padded headboard. “God I miss her.”  
  
“Miss her too, Buck. Could really use a hug from ma right now.” 

“Do you ever wish you could go back and see them for just one more time?” Bucky turned his head, tissue dangling from his palm. “I miss my ma too, pal. And pa, who wasn’t that great of a father but I’d still like to show ‘em how far I’ve come.” 

“Oh, Buck.” 

Bucky pulled a tissue out of the box and dotted his eyes. “I miss Sam.”  
  
Here came the flood works. “We could video chat—”  
  
“I miss Nat,” Bucky kept rambling and wouldn’t stop for a second. “And Clint, Tony, Peter, Pepper...” 

Steve surged forward and cradled Bucky in his arms, hushing him with a soft kiss to his forehead. “Hey...” 

Bucky coughed, he actually used his elbow this time. “I even miss you.” 

“What? Is that fever really getting to you?” Steve said between a short chuckle filled with sympathy. “I’m right here you jerk.”  
  
“No,” Bucky said, somehow managing to cuddle further into Steve, his head on the crook of Steve’s neck. “When you were smaller.” 

“Aw, Buck.” 

“It’s so weird having our roles reversed.” Alpine decided at that moment to curl up in Bucky’s lap, her little meow of hello greeting them. 

“It’s odd, isn’t it?” Steve said, stroking Alpine’s short white fur. _Now_ she demanded attention from him. 

“Mhmm,” Bucky hummed, taking yet another tissue out of the box. “Stevie, I’m out of tissues again.” 

“Damn it, Buck, that’s the third box.” 

“You keep buying the small boxes,” Bucky continued, “and the ones with lotion are better.” 

“How about you take a nap and I’ll make a run to the store, _again_.” 

Bucky raised his arm above his head, yawning. “Sounds good to me.” 

“But I think I’ll slip a fifteen minute nap in with you,” Steve said, fluffing his pillow to get into a more comfortable position. 

“Even better.” 

Steve hadn’t exactly gone to sleep but dozed off a little. The soft snores coming from Bucky brought a smile to Steve’s face.

Taking care of someone you love isn’t so bad after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> [Metalbvcky](https://metalbvcky.tumblr.com)


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